Your First Time Needs To Set You Up For The Win

Going into business isn’t about just getting by, it’s about building a future, a legacy, a better life. You can’t do that by simply ‘getting by‘. Making just enough to put the bread and butter on the table isn’t a business, it’s a chore. It’s a chore because it’s tiring, it’s ground hog day, it’s a never ending cycle of nothingness. Here are 4 tips you can use to help you put more on your table than just bread and butter.

Your first time meeting with a prospective client is necessary for the ongoing health of your business, it’s these guys that will help you make more, I understand it can make you nervous at the thought and before you know it, you’re sabotaging yourself with questions like these:

Will they like me?

Will I like them?

What if we don’t get on?

What will they ask me?

How much do I tell them?

What do I take with me?

What should I leave them with?

What is my point of difference?

To help you prepare to answer these questions, try these 4 tips.

1. Research

Find out all you can about your potential client, visit their website, check their Linkedin profile, are there articles on them? Ask your network (another reason why it’s important to get out of your office and mix with other people).

2. Prepare

Be prepared, I don’t mean rehearse your lines, I mean prepare your introduction pack. You will want to leave them with something if you meet in person, or have it ready as a PDF if you’re meeting via Skype.

3. Be present

Be present in the moment. It’s easy to wander off in your mind because you aren’t relaxed, you’re over analysing the meeting while it’s happening. You will be asking yourself more questions like:

Why did he/she look like that when I mentioned that?

Why isn’t he/she looking me in the eye when I talk?

Why is he/she rushing, don’t they like me?

Take a deep breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth. It’s okay to pause before you speak. This is why it’s so important not to sound like you’ve spent all night rehearsing your lines.

4. 10 Questions

Trying to prepare for every eventuality is fruitless, you can’t do it. But there are however, 10 questions you really need to know the answer to. There is a psych behind these questions and not being able to answer them as expected can be a deal breaker for you. Test yourself, how would you answer this question, ”

Test yourself; how would you answer this question? “If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?”

Please leave your answer in the comments below, this is one of those tricky ones. TIP: Think outside the box!